Tuesday morning.

Well, the house is QUIET. Way to quiet but that happen when all the munchkins go home. Back to the regular now where anything that gets moved around is my doing. How boring. Sunday was up early and off to church. Ate and heard great music. Services are pod cast so if anyone wants to hear them go to the church web site www.northchurchindy.org and listen to some wonderfully crafted Christmas Eve services. The 10:30 11:00 is the best. Watched the Colts Sun. afternoon. Yesterday I went to church and cleaned up the Christmas eve mess. That meant getting rid of burned candles for all three services, flowers off the altar and new stuff up including a new epiphany banner on the pulpit. I sewed this one last winter and it's a fun one hopfully to make people smile a bit with three crazy kings hats. The bells needed to go to their storage place which was a huge job but little by little gets the job done. I think the church space is ready for Sunday. Our Christmas star is now high in the balcony, a reminder of the three kings following the star. I got home around 4:30 just ready to be home. No Monday night football. Bummer. This morning I will meet with a few folks to get North Notes in the mail. I usually do a bunch of prep so that the morning is a little shorter but this time...didn't have time. It will be a long morning of work. Then to the postoffice they will go for mailing. I finished the 12th stocking hat and now have started another one but on bigger needles. This is an experiment. Tomorrow I'm working the desk until the church closes for New Years Eve. That's my life so far.

Saturday

I think today is Kristens Birthday. Happy birthday, Kido. We've had a wonderful three or four days. The Michigan Kids got here around 1pm Christmas Day. The little guys unpacked their Santa Stockings and waited for Eric and Kat and Andrew to arrive which they did around 4:30. Then it got alittle crazy for a while. Lots of smiles and thankyous. Then it was Michigan Pastys for Supper. Yesterday morning it was playing with toys that Eric and Jared played with when they were little. The Creative Playthings Table Top Blocks are still the best. That was a gift from Dee a long time ago. Eric and Kat came for a little while in the afternoon. Everyone picked something to eat for lunch. Then at 5:30 we all met at the zoo for Christmas at The Zoo. It was really, really fun to see ALL the lights at the zoo. A few animals were out but not to many. We rode the train and saw a wonderful train exhibit with many trains running all over the place. It was beautiful. Home and knitted a bit and then to bed. I was bushed. This morning I went to Dunkin' Doughnuts for everyone and finished the knitted hat and soon the kids will be going back to Michigan. I am so happy to have a few hours with them. Not all are that fortunate. It's been a great Christmas.

Christmas Morning

Wow...It finally has arrived. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve...Worked at church in the morning and then back to church at 4:45 for the first of three services. They all were very different and very well attended and very well planned. I would think that there were probably 300 people at each of the first two and then a good 700 at the midnight service. Such celebrating of the birth of Jesus. We were home by 1:15 and then right to bed. This morning it's good music and the smell of baking. The apple pie is in the oven and another batch of cookies ready to bake since we either ate them all or gave lots away. Now it's just those last minute things that I have time to do. The Michigan kids probably will arrive early afternoon and Eric, Kat and Andrew should be here the middle of the afternoon as well. It will be crazy Christmas Day for a while. I'll love every minute. Then Copper Harbor Pastys for supper, apple pie and cookies and more. It's the cooks afternoon off. Yahoo. I'm going to watch everything that happens. Tomorrow the Michigan family will go back home and on to other things. I have no plans to take the tree down. Goodness my 2007 cards stayed up all year. Merry Christmas everyone.

Another Tuesday

Baking, baking, listening to good Christmas music, wrapping gifts, stuffing stockings. Fun, fun.
I made loads of cookies and 4 apple pies for Sarah Ellen. She is having family and friends. That means 12 at the table for most meals. Just helping her out with food although her kids are big enough to do all the cooking. I'm roasting a turkey breast tonight and will have it available for sandwiches for my own kids. I also ordered the famous pasties for Christmas Day. It's called the cook is lazy. Who wants to work on Christmas Day. NOT ME. I'm on a roll with hat knitting for poor folks coming to church needing hats and gloves. I'm up to 10 stocking hats at this point using up all my yarn. Mary Beth bought some hats, some folks are knitting and we'll get the job done. Tomorrow morning I'm working at the church desk. It's predicted that the ice will be gone by morning. Then it's back to church for 3 services. I want to go to the 5 o'clock since the children are doing that one and I made the costumes a long time ago for that service. Then the choir will sing at the 7:30 and 10:30. Busy, busy. Lovin' every minute.

Tuesday morning.

Well, it was a fabulous Sunday. Wow...we arrived at church around 7:00. I got the hospitality things going and off to bell practice at 7:25. The special called in people got the pastries on the table while I was gone and everything worked well. The community room was stuffed with folks all morning meeting friends etc. It was African Missions Sunday for Advent. The altar was filled with African things. And...Imani Workshop came to sell items made by HIV/AIDS patients in Eldoret. The table was busy all morning with people shopping for Christmas. There were new nicer necklaces then we have seen in the past. I bought one for ME. It by far was their best sales day in many months. I was so happy for them. Joe and Sarah Ellen talked briefly during the service and the music was awesome with a wonderful Kenyan anthem. Thinking of the Sunday experience just gives me goosebumps. Bells did better second service than first but that's just a given. Joe and Sem had lunch with the team of youth and adult sponsores who are going to Eldoret this summer. It's a great bunch of folks. I am sooooo excited for them. I helped the Imani folks pack up and we got home around 2 pm. Then...it was cookie baking time. North has teamed with School 43 providing support in many ways. Today...Tuesday Patty and friend...I forget...are taking 33 plates of cookies to the school for the teachers. When I was teaching, our PTO did this for us...Teachers don't have time to bake! So...Now I can do for teachers what was done for me. Yahoo. I sort of pooped out around 5:30 Sunday. All energy was gone. But...yesterday morning...drove to Marsh...got more stuff and spent the morning in the kitchen. What fun. I did 6 different drop cookies. Mixed everything up...Put them in the refrigerator to chill...cleaned up the kitchen...and then started to bake. Fun, fun. Cookies were everywhere. Patty picked up her batches of cookies late afternoon and I was off to Greenspace to learn about Purple Martens. What a bird. So...see...now you know how much fun the last two days have been. What a blast.

I've applied for a job. Official Baker for Sarah Ellen for the last two weeks of Dec. They have more than a house full of family and friends coming in and I think this is something I can do for them. Families EAT!

Now...it's get ready for next weekend. It's local missions Sunday. We'll have something on the altar representing school 43...text books...farmers market, basket of squash etc. and bread and bowl. That's a small soup kettle, bowls, bread etc. I'm using many Dennis soup bowls. Leslie will know what that means. The offering will be collected in soup pots and pans and mixing bowls. It's thematic teaching...All you teachers will know what I mean. That's it for Tuesday.

Sat. morning

Well, this week has been delightful. Lots to do but not overwhelmed. All packages are wrapped...even Santa got the stockings finished. Wow...that has NEVER happened in the past 41 years. All is done that is unless I think of something else someone might like and we can afford. Speaking of afford. Sewers and water are coming to our neighborhood. Can't afford it. Talk about money. That will break the bank or more. There goes my retirement kitty fund. Bummer Humbug. Really can't change the outcome at this point. This will tell us how poor we really can become.

Last night Kat and Eric went to the North Staff Christmas dinner and I GOT TO STAY WITH ANDREW! What a treat. He just putts around entertaining himself and me as well. I love to hear him sing and sit play his gitar which is really a push popper toy with a long stationary handle. He really gets loud. Funny, funny.

I started to knit again. I'm making a stocking hat. Thursday at B and Bowl we gave out stockings that we stuffed with toiletries at church Sunday afternoon. It probably the only gift received by some of the folks. They were well appreciated. Stocking hats and gloves are always available to those who are in need. One homeless man has received his third pair of gloves already. He keeps loosing them but I really think other men jump him and take what they can. It's the adult version of picking on what they might think is a lesser person. So sad. We have a good supply of gloves on hand. I found great ones at Goodwill for a buck a pair. Went to a bunch of Goodwills and bought them out!

This Sunday at church we are celebrating Africa. The altar is filled with Masi figures and typical foods...corn and beans. We are singing a great Kenya song and Sarah Ellen and Joe Mamlin are speaking for a bit. There is a dinner for youth and adult sponsors who are going to Kenya next Summer. Adults are Brian and Ava Williams, Anne Moman and her dad. Anne is the youth staff advisor and Mary Jo Stinette who will be taking her second trip to Eldoret. It is a super group of mature youth who also will be going. Two of the kids along with their parents joined North in October wanting their children to have this experience.

Tomorrow morning will be another crunch time Sunday although I think I have planned better this week for it. Bells are playing, Anne and Dave and Waldene will not be helping but I've asked two other ladies to come and help. We should get the hospitality job done at some point before the actual time deadline. So the plan is to arrive at church at 7, work till 7:25...rehearse...work hospitality...play at 8:20...and then back to hospitality. Like Kate Pluse 8 says...It' s a crazy life but It's my life...or something like that. I'm heading down to church around 11:00 to do what I can early for tomorrow which will be an exciting day.

Tuesday morning.

Well, it's been a killer weekend...Much of it fun. Some I planned for and some just happened. I'll just write about what I remember. Thank goodness for a mind that forgets some things. Sunday was a huge hoot. Doug and I arrived at church around 7:15 driving seperately because dear Sarah Ellen is here from Kenya and I'm giving her my car to drive for the month. Joe is driving Patty H. car. I'm driving Becky VanVoorhis' car because SEM hates that car. Becky is related to the Evelyn VanVooris Fallot being a former sister-in-law. Evelyn was a neighbor in Ohio. Small world. I have no trouble with Becky's car. As we were working to get the hospitality room ready I realized that our helpers Dave and Ann weren't arriving. Well, they are in China visiting their son. So...Doug and I just worked a little harder and faster since even Waldene wasn't there as well to help. It's a huge job for two but we got the job done. Much easier with the regular 4 or 5. That meant that there was no regular clean up crew so I decided not to sing in the choir since I would miss rehearsal time. Lots of people kept us busy all morning. So...at 11:10 after second service started I declared to Rick, who was helping at that point that I was GOING to church, which I did. I was not going to miss great music and great preaching. It was communion Sunday and during the passing of the peace, Preacher Kevin said to me...I need you to serve communion. A preacher didn't show. So...up I go to serve communion which is such an honor. One I wouldn't miss. Church was over and I said hello to Sarah Ellen and Joe then off to get ready for Stocking Stuffing for Bread and Bowl folks at the Advent Festival Sun. afternoon. I also had to do a major put away stuff because the womans society who does Friendship time worked in the community room and didn't know a hoot about where hospitality stuff went. There was a huge cookie sale by the youth who baked over 9000 cookies at a local school on Sat. selling them to folks in the parlor. It's their major fund raiser of the year. We got the cars switched which is another story relating to the fact that we had a very cold snowy weekend and Joe and SEM's heated drive way refused to work. They live on a very steep hill so they are staying at son Burke's house. The snow is gone so I am assuming that they finally have arrived at their home. I got everything organized for the late afternoon event and decided to go home for a break. Well, by that time it was 3:15 and Carmel is to far from church to make sense to leave for a while. So...I just hung in there. We had great attendance at the festival and folks really enjoyed stuffing socks with lotions, shampoos, razors, soap, etc. which we give to our Bread and Bowl customers on Thursday. We stuffed 60 pair of socks. Then off to the pitch in supper where I brought nothing to pitch in. There was plenty of food and such a relaxing time just sitting and talking with friends. Wooo...I was bushed. So much walking long halls and using elevators to get things out and to put things away. Monday I just TOOK it easy all morning. I worked the desk yesterday afternoon which wasn't much of a job. Just more sitting which was great. I filled the crock pot with a great rump roast and the kids came for supper. Andrew is such an entertainer and is such fun to be with. Today, I feel like a live person again. Not much planned. Might go and get a few Christmas things but nothing more. I'm having a morning Joe with my morning Joe Friends on MSNBC. Now I would imagine that you who are reading this need a rest as well. Such fun being used to make life a little easier for others.

Monday after Thanksgiving

Well, the trip to Georgia was another interesting family memory. Check out rockinrfarm.blogspot.com for all the details. JB says it best with pictures to match. The little boys were such fun. Adam sneaking his mother's apple pie while she was in the kitchen, eating it with a big fork was the best. He loves apple pie. Speaking of...After the 5th apple pie...Kimmy made two of these and 1 pumpkin...the baker went on strike. ET...the monk got to finish out what was left. I have the impression that apple pie saturation appeared early Sunday morning at breakfast time. The guest house was full with all beds taken, the kitchen crew just rolled along and we had some good walking days as well as one in the rain. Having Andrew beside me in the van was gem time although I did hear the word STOP about a mile from home. That said it all. We all could have yelled STOP. Kat drove both ways doing an excellent job. Eric sat in the passenger seat with his mending shoulder and Doug took up the back pew in the van. Next year if all goes well and family does this again, I'm hoping that Rick's kids can join us. Nolan will just add another boy to the mix along with Dalton. It's not kid town...it's BOY town.

Tuesday

Tomorrow is Wed. and off to Georgia with the family. Yahoo. Should be tons of fun. Doc appointment went well. Neck pains get muscle relaxing med. with tylenol. Should really relax me for the trip to Georgia. Doc. thinks it should correct itself sooner than later especially if I take the medicine. Yahoo.
Turkey pick up was this m0rning. Clothes are packed and the cooler is waiting to be filled. We're taking clothes and food to Eric's house and will help pack the van and then tomorrow morning expect an early pick up for the trip south.
This morning I took the at least 20 dz. doughnuts to church, waited for Patty to arrive and helped a bit with decorating Christmas wreaths. That's it for now...On the road again tomorrow morning.

Friday morning.

The fifth day since I posted.
This Monday I finalized the calendar that will be given to all the Bread and Bowl folks. We hear over and over...are you cooking today. Well, how would folks remember unless they know what day of the week it is. No calendars is one of the problem. So...one of our church members is printing a 2009 calendar that has information every day as to where one can find a hot meal in the community, health information for the uninsured and food pantry, clothes pantry and soup kitchen sites to find survival information. It's a hard winter for many. Yesterday I took a homeless man who had just been discharged from the hospital the day before to Wishard Hospital, one that helps the poor for medicaiton. He had no clue as to where he would sleep last night. He felt it was safer to be on the street than to be in a shelter for the night. Probably true.
James has been coming to our soup kitchen for years but I've never seen him so sick.

Tuesday, Wayne Edwards, one of our church custodians died, very unexpectedly from a heart attack last Friday. Wonderful man of 54 years. He was a major transporter of left over doughnuts we used at our Thursday B and B. So...just one more thing on my plate for at least a while. That is picking up at least 15 doz of doughnuts at 10 pm on Wed. evenings. Lucky for me...the Dunkin Doughnuts is right here in Carmel. It's just crazy but true that transportation of food to places of need is probably one of the biggest break down for our hungry folks to get food.

Since this summer, I have been having problems with my neck. I thought it was because of my bum shoulder but this lady just is not good when it comes to medical things. Hum...I don't have a medical degree come to think of it. It's not the shoulder but probably a problem relating to my salivary gland surgery. Tues. I see the doc again for a regular visit and this neck problem will be a talking point. Fluid is collecting in a little pocket at the base of my neck and a PT friend suggested that the drainage from the lymph nods is being blocked because of scar tissue from the surgery. Sounds really possible to me. I sometimes can feel the bones of my spinal colum grinding together. It would seem that everything in my neck is being smushed together. So...
there will be lots of talking points Tuesday afternoon.

I'm off to church in a minute to get the advent candles ready for Nov. 30th. We'll be in Georgia but life goes on even when we are not here in Indy. Got to plan ahead. Speaking of...The Xmas Tree is decorated and the livingroom looks like there will be a Christmas for sure. There is a whole bunch of red thrown around the room. I've NEVER been this early with decorating. Just wanted it all done before Georgia for some reason.

Sunday Morning

Where does the time go? Well, to start with...Last night my sister Mary K and I went to an organ, Carmel Orchestra program at St. Lukes Un. Meth. Church. It was WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL. The guest organist was Cameron Carpenter, a 27 yr. old obsessed with the organ. Wow. He played with the symphony the Symphonie Concertonte, Op. 81 by J. Jongen. Most by memory. The orchestra also did The Planets by Gustav Holst. It was a very entertaining evening to put it mildly. Money very well spent. I would say that will be the highlight of the month for sure. Friday Kat/Eric/Andrew had a birthday celebration. Andrew is just a hoot to watch. He jibber constently and is so intent on what he's doing. He loved being the center of attention and after all it was his birthday. The rest of the week was same as some others, bells, choir, desk work getting ready for soup kitchen and soup kitchen. Had some quarterly blook work done and need to do more since for some reason my blood has to much calcium in it. I guess the question is...where is it coming from. I'm hoping not from my bones. I had a great bone density test about 6 mo. ago. I'll get that done tomorrow. Kat is bringing Andrew here tomorrow and then she's on to her PT work. Eric is doing well but needs to get started on his PT. I hope he is a fast healer. This morning we are playing bells at church for both services, working at the hospitality hr. I just heard Doug's alarm so the day is beginning and we're out of here soon.

Tuesday again.

Today was a fun slow day. I spent at least 3 hours talking and eating and more talking with 3 other church friends at Binkley's. We all are turning 70 this year. Don't want to call it a celebration. Maybe happening will do. Lots of good visiting and laughing. This evening the choir is singing at a prayer service on the campus of Marion College. We're singing two things. It should be a good service with many religiions represented in the service. Yesterday Andrew stopped by while Kat has some PT for a sore hip/back. What a little guy. Lots of fun. Tomorrow morning is more PT for Kat and this time Eric and Andrew are stopping by while Kat does PT. It's Andrew's second birthday and Eric is taking off work but still feel a little unable to take care of Andrew. It's the lifting things that he's afraid of so the Men will be enjoying each other I'm sure. His shoulder continues to improve but I think it will be a slow healing process. I'm off to church to do my morning of telephone answering and working on activities for our worship bags that the smaller children use during church. I want to get 6 months of activities ready at a time. It's looking activitiy sheets up on the internet and then getting them all printed and ready for each month. I'll also stop at the store to get necessary food for Thursday's soup kitchen as well as our Hospitality Hr. on Sunday. Tomorrow night is handbells. That's it for now. Go Colts. Super job last Sunday afternoon.

Thursday

Enough went on already this week to do another post. Wow...Tuesday was fun. I spent time in the neighborhoods passing out flyers encouraging people to vote. The weather was perfect and was the right thing to do to keep me from going crazy. Didn't get much sleep that night. Wed. was working at the desk in the morning where I got a phone call from Kat saying that she was in the emergency room with Eric who was forced off his bike by an IPS School bus. Driver never saw him. He has a broken colar bone. I stopped in to see him at home and he's pumped full of drugs. Not worth to much to say the least and will be off work until at least Monday. He's one lucky guy. This is the third bicycle accident. Andrew was carrying on big time while I was there. What an entertainer. Then on to the Med. center to pack another 700 Beany babies for Eldoret Kenya. It's hard to imagine all the joy these little creatures will be bringing to Eldoret children. The container now going soon has at least 1400 stuff animals on their way to Kenya. After that I stopped at Goodwill and bought 5 doz pr. of socks for our Christmas give away at church to Bread and Bowl folks in Dec. We fill them with travel soaps, tooth brushes and lotions that people have collected during the year. I'm also hoping to have a pr. of gloves for folks as well. Cold weather is so difficult for folks with limited resources. Goodwill is another place for new gloves at a reasonable price. Our money can stretch really far with good shopping finds. At this point yesterday it was 5 pm so came home and told Doug it was Steak and Shake and then on to Bell practice. Wow...That was a long day out. Today is Bread and Bowl, meeting with Brian about our Christmas experience for Bread and Bowl along with some other things on the agenda, then a meeting with Janet, our children's Christian Ed. person about some stuff, a hair cut this afternoon and then Choir practice. I love busy days. That's it for now.

Sunday

Well, another busy week. Same old same old as JB would say. I did do a few new things. Thought I should give it a try before I get old. Sat. I worked at a water station for a mini marathon and a real marathon. It was fun. I'd do it again. It was a new race in Indy and the station was staffed by a bunch of North folks at the corner of 38th and Meridian. It was really great to see the first Marathoner pass by which I'm sure was a Kenyan who was at least 30 minutes in front of the next runner. What a fluid form he had. Wow! There were about 6000 runners that passed by, one being our own minister Kevin for the Mini. The whole 4 hrs was just a blast. Then I went right to the Obama Biden voting headquarters here in Carmel and signed up to work on Tuesday. I think I'm called a runner meaning that I'll be running in the car from pole station to pole station. That's a morning committment or until I wear out. Something new to look forward to. This week we also will be keeping Andrew on Wed. while Kat does some PT for a hip that isn't working correctly. Today at church we celebrated all saints Sunday and the new banner that I finished a few weeks ago was used and lots of burning candles were on the altar for those who died this year. It was a pretty sight. So...tonight it's football and then the race for the week starts tomorrow. Signing off from Carmel.

Guess What...

It's Saturday again...Not live just Saturday. Live comes later tonight. My sewing machine is back. Yahoo. A few weeks ago I talked to North member Merna who our resident clown. She is so good at it going to nursing homes as well as our farmers market. She has two of the cutest granddaughters Emma 4 and Mattie 7. And I suggested that they might like to be clowns as well going with her. Merna said yes...so this week saw two of the most colorful (words of 4 yr. old Emma) clown suits going to the granddaughters. I had so much fun sewing them and thinking of the girls being with their grandmother. I had a blast. Lots of stripes, rick/rack, ruffles. The costumes match their grandmothers costume almost to a T. When Emma saw her sisters suit her eyes got almost as big as saucers. So...Of course Emma needed one and she made that wish known in no uncertain terms. Lucky for us all there was enough material. Fnk fun. The week has been busy with volunteer hrs at church once again. Monday was supply the cabinets among other things. Tues, I volunteered at the front desk for most of the day. The other volunteers were unable to work. Wed. was my regular morning to work and I did a lot of work with North Notes which comes out this week. Kat comes to church Wed. morning and I always get to see Andrew. What fun. He is a dear little guy. Wed. night of course was bell practice. Thurs was soup kitchen morning, evening choir, Friday we prepared North Notes for mailing and I took a trip to the downtown postoffice with the mailing. I also found some material to make 4 more little table that sit outside the children's S.S. rooms in the upper hall in the Ed. wing. I made 4 with fall colors. These will be used during Dec. and then I'll need to think of something for the winter months. The clothes certainly spruce up the hall area making it look more child friendly. And of course all the little minutes inbetween the big minutes were used for clown costume sewing.
This morning I tackled a job that has been waiting since last Dec. We unrapped the large advent candles, finding them impacted with a blue color coming from the paper and seeping into the candle wax. Uck. I couldn't believe it but something needed to be done about that. So...I brought them home and they have been sitting in a corner. I thought I needed to remelt them which is something I've done before and just hate the process. They are about 30 inches tall and about 6 inches across with the mold being plastic sewer tile. No easy job to say it mildly. But...today I scraped them, rinsed them well with wax cleaner and I'm saying that they have been reconditioned ready to be used again. I'm not going to pour 40 lbs of wax. This is the easy way out. Yahoo again. We had our first frost this week so I'm hoping to get out in the flowerbeds and get rid of the plants that have melted away. Winter is coming. I'm ready for a change.

Sat. again!

These weeks are just flying by. It's crazy. Last night Eric/Kat and Andrew came for supper. Andrew's vocabulary is exploding. What a funny little guy. He pulled out a little stuffed dog and told it to "STAY". He loves the stairs and knows enough to back down and told Doug to do the same, which he did! What a crazy grandpa.

I continue to work on the stuffed animal shipment to Kenya. The project just gets funnier and funnier. And I'm ready for it to be finished. The container carrying stuffed animals for Christmas's gifts will not arrive until January. Plan two. Retreive animals from the shiping company and send three trunks traveling with medical students going in Nov. So...the challenge now is stuffing 100 animals into a trunk. Max. to send will be 300. The animals were ALL out of the house at some point last week and now 300 are back. Uck. The other 400 animals will arrive by container.

I've spent most of the mornings at church this past week on some sort of project. Two mornings were front desk work. Yesterday I took grasses and hydrangea to create altar arrangements. That's because the reservation book had no altar reservations and I love to make a contribution from what I can find in the garden. Looks less contrived. So it's two arrangements in two wonderful pottery pots with two kinds of pink hydrangea at the base of a tall stand of ornamental grasses. They are at least 5 ft tall.

Bell practice as usual Wed. night. Thurs. morning was soup kitchen and Ellen and I spent time on the Circle in Indy in an initiative for hunger concerning children of Indianapolis as well as children in western Kenya in the Umoja Project. Our table display was picked up by the Indianapolis Star and posted on their web site for Oct. 16 in the multi media part of their web site. Yahoo. The picture is my secreen saver at this point.

We had gourd bowls of beans and corn and barley, lots of pictures all surrounded with colorful Kenyan fabrics. I must say it was well done. Then it was the last day of farmers mkt. and choir practice.

Tomorrow is our finance drive at church for 2009. Lots of music and a small orchestra. It should be fun. Rehearsal this morning. North has been known for it's use of the classics in music but not Sunday. It's typical gospel music with an orchestra and a full set of drums. I'm already looking forward to my regular Sun. afternoon nap...then it's COLTS!

Saturday...

I'm writing before I forget. Wed. we had a great bell practice but my month off with the shoulder thing really makes me feel behind. Thursday morning soup kitchen. LOTS of people came to work. Wow...and we had a great group of people from the community eating. Thurs afternoon was Farmers Mkt. and then Choir practice. Friday Mary K and I went to see Guys and Dolls at the Circle down town. Great music. Then I had a group of 8 come to church in the afternoon to prepare a finance drive mailing. Another great bunch of workers. Last night we went to Steak and Shake for supper and visited with Jay Smith who was also eating there. He's one of those 40 year friends. And...Kat and Eric, Andrew and Kat's mother and grandmother walked in to the restaurant while we were there so talked to them for just a bit. This morning I finished the banner that will be used for memorial services. And...I'm taking lots of grasses to church to decorate the altar for tomorrow's service. Kat and I are playing handbells at both services which will keep us more than busy. I plan to get ready for hospitality time this afternoon since I won't be around much to help tomorrow because of bell practice. Wow...tomorrow afternoon is already appointed nap time. Well, after I watch the Colts.

Tuesday again.

Good grief. I knew I was busy but the days just got away from me. I can't remember all of it. Sat. night I went to the symphany with sister Mary K. Sunday it was the opera with Doris D. And inbetween it all I started another pulpit banner that I just could sit and work on it every waking moment. Such fun. Kevin wanted a white banner for funerals and we have a beautiful gold on that he has been using but white comes up in conversations all the time. So...I got my act together, looked through my material and found enough stuff to make a pulpit hanging. I've bought sequins and gold thread but that's it with the exception of some white muslin I bought for backing. The banner is white covered with gold sequins, a big gold sequined alpha and omega...God being with us from our beginning to our end and many gold crowns on the lower portion of the banner stitched with two different colors of gold thread. It's been such an intereting project. I know how to sew hundreds of sequins. I finished one box of 450 and I'm on to the second one. It's a sparkling addition to our collection of banners. Still work to do but it's coming along. It's been an evolving project. Tonight I'm joining a group of people at church in a book study lead by Ellen D-H and Kevin Armstrong. They are the best teachers. The book is Christianity and the Social Crisis in the 21st Century. Walter Rauschenbusch is the writer. Each chapter has some additional comments written reflecting on what W. R has written. I'm going to get some learning for sure.

Shoulder...

Someone asked about the shoulder. I'm taking it easier and not doing anything that stretches it beyond where it should be. I'm in the sling some of the time. It really is doing very well. I've cut my Aleve in half and have no problem. I talked to a PT person at church and she hates slings for people. But thinks it's not a bad idea to keep one alert to surgery issues. Happy to be doing things but sure miss my sewing machine. I'm ready for it and ready to make a real cute clown suit for a little girl at church who has a grandmother who is a clown as well. The fabric is cut and I'm ready to go.

Tuesday

It really is Tuesday. Keeping busy as usual. I've started another banner for the pulpit. This one will be used at funerals. Kevin keeps asking for an appropriate white funeral banner. We don't have one. So...this one is white with a gold alpha and omega covered with sequins. This part is 20 inches long and 16 inches wide and I'm in the sequin mode. Sewing them on just takes a bundle of time but it's worth it.

Yesterday Doris and I went shopping. She talked so much about my Kazuri necklace that I bought in Nirobi. Well, there is a bead shop in Carmel that just has begun carrying these beads. So...I took her to the shop and she bought a necklace among other things. We now can dress alike which we will do for the opera next Sunday. We are wearing black which really shows off these beautiful necklaces. Doris had such a good time picking out the beads she wanted and said we have to do this again. A few years ago someone stole all her jewelry so she is relishing the purchases. This morning it's off to church to get North Notes in the mail. We will be busy with lots of work and lots of talk. Tomorrow its working at the front desk in the morning, preparation for soup kitchen in the afternoon and bells in the evening. Thurs. soup kitchen morning and choir in the evening. And inbetween it's banner time.

Tuesday

Well, it's good and not so good with the shoulder doc. The recovery is supposed to be over 12 weeks and I'm really ahead of the curve. I think that's good. Well, the doc said...NOT so good. So I need to be more cautious. Bummer, bummer. I have a new sheet of PT stuff for the next 4 weeks and I told him I could do all of that sheet already. Guess that's not so good if I'm supposed to be more cautious. So...It's back in the sling especially when I'm out of the house. It is to help remind me as well as others that care needs to be taken. If the truth were known, I could say I'm not real surprised at his comments. I asked a whole bunch of questions today about how this surgery was done...It's very, very interesting to say the least. Probably should have asked that last time I went. I'm a how did you do it type person that really helps me to understand what's behind all the precautions. I am going to start ringing handbells tonight. They weigh less than 2 pounds and all wrist movement. No shoulder stuff and if it starts to create a problem, I'll QUIT. That's a big promise. Election stuff really is heating up. Some of the stuff makes me laugh. That's it for the day.

Monday Morning

Another weekend just few past. Saturday, Doug and I went to Tipton to a Greenspace friend's greenhouse. Plant sale! We bought three dark purple fall aster plants and a couple of other things. 4 bucks a gallon plant is just to cheap to pass up. So...yesterday I dug some holes and got them in the ground. I cut more hostas off and dug some out for the garbage. They just don't do well in the sun and all of the shade places are full. More to do but I'll wait a few days. I would imagine some of the Sunday activities were a big stretch on the shoulder so I'm taking it easy for a few days. Shoulder is stiff and ice feels so good. Colts LOST. What a crazy game. Defence didn't show up. I could NOT stand to watch it. Big Sunday morning at church. Kevin had an excellent sermon on Worship. Wow...lots to think about. Hospitality hrs. were jumping. People meeting people and some just catching up on what's happening. Not much on the calendar this week. Wed. shoulder doctor's appointment. I hope he turns me loose. Can't imagine that he wouldn't. Soup Kitchen friend Jane Phelp's husband died Sun. morning. Dave had prancreatic cancer. Funeral Wed. I should go to that. Jane is such a good friend that I have had great fun with. We have many crazy soup kitchen stories. That's about it for Monday morning.

Friday night

Way, way to busy this week. Some weeks are like that. Tuesday night I went to a huge IU-Kenya recognition dinner at the Marriot downtown as the guest of Phyllis and Steve West. It sure was a fancy event. I worked at the Imani table selling items made by HIV people in Eldoret. That was fun but the evening was very, very long. Wed. I worked at the desk at church and got ready for the soup kitchen. Off to Nobelsville to take my sewing machine to Mr. Arbuckle...the best sewing machine fixer in the west. There is a problem with the bobbin winder. It's the second trip to the Mr. Arbuckle's shop in 40 years. I completely forgot to go to a big food festival sponsored by MCFarlings, the company I order soup kitchen food from. That was something I really wanted to go to. Thursday was soup kitchen and out to lunch with my three good retired teacher friends. Farmers Mkt. at church with choir practice followed. Today I mailed a package to my friend Nancy, got groceries and went to a Pops Concert downtown at the circle with my friend Doris D. This afternoon I went to three antique stores trying to find a place that will sell some lights that were taken down from the nursery at church. They are great antiques but haven't found a buyer yet. So...tonight my wad of energy is at its low point. I also cut back some hostas that were looking really horrible. Fall flower gardens don't always look their best. Shoulder is doing fine. I have a doc. appointment next Wed. and I should hear wonderful things from the doc. Off to bed soon.

Tuesday

Shoulder continues to improve. Busy, busy on Sunday morning with Hospitality Hrs. Great crowd of people visiting before S. School classes with some continuing to visit with friends during that hr. Watched the Colts when I wasn't sleeping. What a comeback. Wow...last minute of the game said it all. Way to many hurt players. Yesterday I needed to take some pictures to Ellen who is on her way to Kenya this week with the UMOJA project. I knew something was wrong before I got the car out of the garage...FLAT tire. AAA came and got me on the road again. That tire took up time that I wasn't expecting but I got my driving jobs finished in good time to get the refreshment stuff to Greenspace meeting early. Our organization was recognized at the Carmel City Council for tree planting work. Our organization along with the City Parks Dept. have planted over 40,000 trees in the last 15 years in Carmel. Arbor Day Celebration Week gets the whole community involved with planting. The scouting groups really get the job done.
Not much going on today but late afternoon and evening I will be at a huge dinner downtown at the Marriott that will be honoring the IU Kenya Partnership given by the International Center of Indianapolis. I am also working at the Imani table selling items made at the Imani workshop in Eldoret. That should be lots of fun. It's jewelry, purses, cards made with paper and some clay products. That's it for the day.

Sat. morning EARLY

Thursday I shot my wad of energy big time. That's nothing new. So Friday it was just a few things like cleaning out the trunk of the car, roasting a big chicken, cashing some checks, doing a little sweaping and watching the hurricane story evolve with a little politics thrown in for more spice. I was thinking of asking the kids for supper but decided that Steak and Shake was the better option. That made tons of sense. Andrew is just the greatest little guy. He loves his grandpa pretending to call grandpa on the play cell phone Thurs. night. He chatters up a storm that just makes me laugh. It's entertainment that I NEVER get tired of. It is so great to see my big guy Eric with his little guy Andrew. Watched a little more hurricane news, to bed and then up early this morning to see what's going on down south. News not so good. Shoulder continues to heal and is not very strong and it's in the dull pain stage. Bought more Aleve which takes care of that. The sling continues to be my friend. Today is a short choir retreat from 9 to 2. A little football probably will fill the afternoon, hurrican and politics in the evening and then it will be Sunday.

Wednesday

Well, what comes along I'm doing. And I have had a blast with putting together 9 different animals that will be a part of the Christmas Eve program. Janet has chosen a wonderful Am. Indian story for the 5 pm service. I've taken hats and turned them into animals. And they make me laugh when I see them all lined up on the ironing board. Well, 6 are totally done and I'm working on the buffalo. Then the mouse and turtle remain and I know what I'm doing for those. Already finished are the eagle, fox, snow goose, hooping crane, bear and the beaver. The beaver is my favorite one. It has a huge floppy tale with wiskers and two beaver teeth. It's really been a fun project. I'm working way ahead of schedule. I've gotten great materials from Hoppy Lobby and the fingers and brain have been flying. I think I'll be sad to be finished. I'm keeping the costumes simple with just a hat to depict the animal. I'm working at the church desk this morning. Tomorrow is soup kitchen and I'll prepare for that this afternoon before leaving church. Tonight is handbells and once again I'm staying home to take care of the shoulder which is really doing great. Just no pushing, pulling and lifting and lots of PT.
Thank goodness, body parts are still healing and being put back to work.

Monday Morning

The much discussed and planned for Kenya Carnival is history. What a wonderful sunny day it was. The lawn of Sec. Presb. church was covered with entertainment, volunteers and people who came to support orphans and vulnerable children of Kenya. Bridges are being built, youth are impowered to think outside of themselves and skills in leadership are being developed. It was an extremely positive day for the churches involved and the community. And...I'm still recovering. Yesterday was another good day. Choir sang. Our numbers jumped to 52 members at the first rehearsal on Thursday so we sang in the balcony Sunday. The choir loft holds 41 and squeezing in just wasn't going to happen. Great music including wonderful organ offerings. Yes, Yes. Martin is amazing and music that comes from his mind and fingers through the organ are such gifts. The nursery now called the Eden Rm. because the theme is creation was open. It's a beautiful room and Kat needs to be congratulated. She did a wonderful decorating job. Yesterday afternoon was given to sleeping, PT, icing the shoulder and watching football in between sleeps. That was the major agenda and it worked. Colts didn't win. But we love them anyways. I don't have much planned for today so things will just happen as they happen.

Sat Morning

Busy...I'm lovin' that. Yesterday, I met Kat at church to finish getting the nursery ready for Sunday after a huge remodeling job in that room. Kat now is childcare director at church and she has had a lot of work and a lot of fun decorating the nursery. It looks like a 2008 room, thank goodness. It's now called the Eden room since the theme is Creation. The walls are covered with painted murals of animals, stars, moon and a verse from Gen. painted by one of Kat's friends who also painted Andrew's bedroom. There are three new rockers, a rolling screen, fresh tile and area rugs and wonderful toys for crawling children. It's a wonderful, fresh space for new babies. I washed a few toys and furniture, opened new toys, pushed a bit of furniture around and helped with whatever Kat needed. Sunday is openhouse in that room. I need to get some balloons to give it a festive look. Andrew was a hoot. What a busy little guy that chatteres up a storm with more recognizable words understood by his grandma. Kat is much better at that. For me...Andrew is a repeat of Eric in talking. It's just like sunshine when he walks, runs and plays.

Yesterday afternoon I went to the fabric shop and found some fabric filled with lions, tigers (no bears) etc. to cover pads that will be used on another glider in the Noah's Ark room. I had to make the pads with removable covers for washing and I'll take them to church this morning. I love my sewing machine!!!!!! It's 40 years old and just keeps on sewing.

I have another sewing job coming for church. There will be a children's play at the first service on Christmas Eve with lots of animals in the cast. I need to figure out some costumes for that service. I have some ideas already but have heard that it's an unusual cast of animals. Needs to be simple and it might just include something on hats with a vest to compliment the animal. It's KISS...Keep it simple stupid.

Today is the Kenya Carnival at Second Presbyterian Church. That will keep me busy for most of the day. I'm helping to set up, stay a little bit and then head home. Need to still baby the shoulder and shut my eyes for a bit this afternoon. Still get worn out but the good news is that I have an acceptable reason to be tired. I'll go with that. Arm is in a sling when I go out which is helpful. PT is going fine. It's amazing how I can stretch those muscles to make the arm work with all the PT moves. Just amazing.

Thursday

Wow...the shoulder is improving by leaps and bounds at this point. Range of motion is really improving although the shoulder really gets stiff after PT. But...life is looking up. Soup kitchen today. Staying with the girls this afternoon and then it's Farmer's Market at church and then out for supper and then choir. Wow...Hope I don't get off the track today. I made 50 cupcakes last night for some 50 year member of the choir that I know. Well, they are for the choir and not all for him. We'll have some icecream/cake after rehearsal. Doug was in the family room and hasn't a clue about all the baking. As soon as the cupcakes came out of the oven I took them to the garage to cool. Didn't want the smell in the house and then packed them all in a plastic container getting rid of all the evidence of baking as I went along. Today, I'll need to find time to frost them at church. I'm still wearing the sling when I'm away from home. Just give some protection.

Tuesday Sept 2

Life is picking up a bit. It's still PT at least two times a day with a 30 minute icing after doing all that stuff. I love ice. Aleve is my friend. The shoulder is getting a bit looser but I haven't arrived yet with super range of motion but it's better for sure. This morning I'm going to church to supervise a bunch of people who are getting North Notes...the church newspaper...ready for mailing. It involves folding and tabing. I usually do all the folding because most of the people complain about the difficulty to do that because of their arthitic hands. That's something that is impossible for me to do this time so I've called in about 4 extra people to help get the job done. I never like to work more than 2 hrs so I'm hoping to meet that deadline. Then this afternoon I'm staying with the Cottingham girls after they get home from school. Their grandmother usually does this. I'm substituting. By far this will be the most difficult job of the day. Girls...these two are difficult. One is a fifth grader and the other a second grader. I need an unusual amount of patience. If I didn't like their grandmother so well, I would decline for sure. Then at 5 it's off to Second Presb. Church for a last meeting for a carnival day on Sat. that benifits the UMOJA project in Western Kenya. Wow...I'll be asleep by 7 is my prediction. I am assuming that I'll be fit for the public by Thursday. That's just fine. At least I can think back on my busy Tuesday. I'm picking up Mabel H. at 8:30 and we're off to church for the start of a busy day.

Saturday Afternoon

I am lazy and bored to pieces. Just not a whole lot of energy but I know this will change but as you all know...NOT soon enough. Worked a little in the flowerbeds trying to trim out some dead stuff. I've got to watch the shoulder so can't do much for very long. Everything is beginning to need watering and I might do some of that tonight. That is if I can wake up. I'm going to see if Doug will take me to a woodland garden that our Greenspace group has supported to the tune of $30.000 dollars to purchase woodland plants. I've heard that it's beautiful so that might wake me up if I can get moving. I'm doing PT and icing the shoulder two times a day. I count that as my entertainment. See, I'm desperate. Oh, well, sounds like I'm whining. I would agree.

Very Hard

It's very hard here in Central Indiana to ride one's bike in 90 degree or more temp. There is definately something wrong with the brain if one thinks that's NORMAL. Oh, well. What can we do about that. Nothiing. Cool again. Needed two blankets last night sleeping with all the windows open. I love those night noises. Down to one pain pill at night. I'm afraid I'm using them to help sleep as well as keep the pain down. Watered flowers last night and finishing up this morning. Left arm is still in a sling so not using it to pull the hose. Watering once a week seems to do the trick. Tomatoes are wonderful. I'm making something with egg plant tonight. Sh...don't tell Doug. He will figure it out. So suspicious. Watching the tube again today. Wishing I could sew but that's to come later. It's very interesting how the muscles transfer stress to other parts of the body. That's it from Carmel. Doug's at his heart rehab or exercise class.

Monday Morning

One week ago this morning I was on the way to the hospital for shoulder fix-up. Not a bad surgery compared to the right shoulder. It surprises me every day. Tried the bed last night for sleeping but there was just to much room to move around. Back to the chair which was perfect. All of the windows in the living room are open and it feels like I'm sleeping outside. That's also perfect. Nothing planned for today. I'll probably be TV bound with the convention. Did church yesterday which went very well although we didn't stay for the church picnic. No reason to bite off more than one can chew. (Picnic...ha, ha) I slept for three hrs. in the afternoon. That was really a surprise. Colts lost their preseason game. First game in the new arena. Garden needs water. Might do that today but again I might not.

Time

Time seems to be crawling along. Well, perhaps that's because I'm sleeping a whole bunch. I got a call from the hospital this morning with the suggestion that I start taking pain pills with the anticipation that the pain ball will soon be empty. So I'm doing that. And since the doc said that I need to be quiet for at least 5 days pain pills seems to allow that to happen. I think I'm really doing fine other wise. This surgery just included 4 holes for correction instead of holes and an insision. What a difference that makes. I am surprised how weak my left arm has gotten in such a short time. This morning I did slip down two steps which scared me a bunch. It's those old hospital socks so I'm pitching them. I cracked the inside of my elbow on the wooden banister which hurt like %^&*$# so I added another ice pack in my sling. I don't think I did any damage to the shoulder. So...it's back to the chair with ice packs and the TV and probably sleeping again. What a life. So glad I have time to recuperate.

Among other things...

Leslie. I'd love to be sitting in the tent in the rain at Fort Wilkins. That is if it's not cold. Such good summer memories of camping in the rain. Lots of funny things happened.

Surgery is over and I'm on the road to recovery. I have a ball full of dope that delivers med. to the nerve along with vicadon. I feel like the dope queen. I'm staying ahead of the pain. My left arm is completely numb and it's a crazy sensation not knowing where the arm is. It doesn't move which is wonderful for healing although I'm learning to use my fingers once again. Dressing is off tomorrow, iceing twice a day which I love and back to the doctor next Wed. Then I'm sure to get my rehab assignment. Yesterday was a day to do nothing and I think it will be the same today. I have my little nest upstairs with the T V and another one in the livingroom with the lounger. That's my night bed. Doug made my sandwich last night along with a cup of tea and I think I'll hang on to his expertise for a while longer. Yahoo.

On to other things

Two weeks in Michigan were the best ever. The weather was perfect...blue sky, white clouds, green trees, wet spring made the wild flowers just beautiful and a fresh breeze, the best ever, off the lake. It was book time, hand sewing time, visiting with the Michigan family, making morning pancakes for Adam and Jacob and who ever else appeared (JB and Kimmy) and following the sun to stay warm. It was just the best two weeks in a long time. Now...it's getting everything in place for a few weeks of being a bit unable to do much. Surgery Monday. I'm ready to get rid of this pain in the neck and shoulder. But...the next 6 or 8 weeks will not be much fun to say the least. But...after that...Yahoo. Did soup kitchen yesterday, three month check up with the internist and today...getting my new glasses and a haircut. I'll be running the sweeper and getting a few things in the freezer to eat next week. I've remembered the right rotator cuff drill well. So. No surprises here unless this left shoulder is more of a piece of cake than the right. I don't think it should be worse.

This week I finished the play mats that Kat wanted for the nursery at church. It was so much fun to make them. They are like heavy quilts that will go on the floor for the babies to play on. The great part was that I stitch anything I wanted to on the mats that were related to flowers. The nursery theme is the creation and the flowers are stitched on green fabric. It was a fun project that of course made my shoulder hurt but I just plowed through with Aleve as my friend. Sad but happy to see that the mats now are full of color and the babies should enjoy them as well. I don't know what the next sewing project will be but it probably won't be as much fun as the mats. There are two of them and they are reversible. Wow...four sides of stitching.

Well, now on to the day's work. I'm feeling that it's crunch time. Preparation is the best solution to the meeting on Monday.

Vacation...

The truck is packed and tied down. Some of you have seen that exercise in rope tying. Last trip to the grocery and Mr. D. said I can wake him up at 5 am. Yahoo. We're going through Ill. Bloomington so the trip is longer but Yahoo...No Chicago. Just great green countryside with lots of gigantic fields of corn, windmills for electricity and beautiful rolling farm land in southern Wis. and then on to the hills of trees. Books are in the truck as well as a little sewing handwork.
We'll see the Michigan kids around noon Sunday. Then it's two weeks of great fun with no schedule to meet. That's a good life.

Vacation

4 more sleeps and we're on our way to the UP. Yahoo. Today I finished the first play mat for Kat and the nursery at church. Wow...I really spent a whole bunch of hours on that one. I think it will keep the babies from lying on the carpet and they should enjoy all the flowers, textures and bright colors. The curtain for the nursery is also finished. There is one more play mat to do. It has most of the sewing machine work finished but there is a whole bunch of hours with hand work. That's really the part I like. Well, I like both things. I'm taking the mat on vacation because that's something I can do during the day and I'm out of time to get it finished before we go. Way to many other things that need my time right now concerning camping gear as well as the usual during the week things. Tomorrow morning is the desk volunteer job at church. In the afternoon I'm picking up some supplies for a job I will do for Greenspace. Thursday morning is Bread and Bowl and in the afternoon is an eye doctor appointment. Kat and Eric and Andrew went to Ill. and we kept the dog. Makes me remember all the good things about a dog and all the bad things...dog hair. Pepper was very good. Tonight I'm getting my pants and shirts out to see what I have to pack. Camp kitchen is finished and some food is in the plastic container. It's just nice to have a few things ready to get us started.

Thursday 7/17

So far...great week. Started with that big birthday on Sunday. We went to Mark Pis for lunch. Great food. Monday of course worked in the garden once again. It's looking great but have a few holes developing because some of the first bloom is off the plants. Tuesday friend Doris Douglas had 15 people to her house for lunch. Most of the folks were Bread and Bowl workers with a few neighbors thrown in. The weather was perfect and we ate on the patio. Great food and great company.

Yesterday Kat and I went to the fabric store to purchase fabrics to decorate the nursery at church. Kat is working with Janet Wanner, North's children's education person, on this project. It's painting...mural painting and new curtains, bibs, and playmats. The theme is the creation so there will be animals and flowers and night and day etc painted. The person painting is the same girl that did the murals in Andrew's room. I'm making the playmats, curtains and bibs as a starter. Don't know the rest but this will keep me busy, busy. Super, super. The sewing room floor is littered already. The play mats are dark green fabric with huge colorful flowers stitched on top. I have five flowers already completed and 15 more to go if Kat likes what's happening so far. The valence is pretty shades of yellow that go well with the walls and will have clouds and birds stitched to the fabric. I call this kind of sewing coloring with fabric. It's fun to see what comes out of my head. Surprise, surprise. I like color and Kat likes texture so it's a good combination of likes. I'm anxious to get this finished because the date for completion of the nursery is Aug. 24 with a two week vacation and surgery also smushed into that period of time. So it's finish I hope before vacation. If not, I'll have a week after we get home from Michigan.

Today is soup kitchen. We got nothing from Kroger so it's crackers with the soup and fruit for dessert. Won't be a favorite meal for the folks but it's food in the tummy.
The folks want sweets and that means anything with tons of frosting. Fruit is not their favorite thing. Then it's more sewing this afternoon. Tomroow Mary K is taking me out to lunch for my birthday. What a great big sister. I've been told I'll always be the baby of the family even at age 70. What's the world coming to?

Monday Next...

Great weekend. The weather is beautiful...low 80's. Rain here and there and I haven't watered the flowers in weeks. When the rain does come it flattens everything so I'm out digging around with the smushed dirt so the weeds won't grow. Speaking of weeds...there aren't many in the vegetable garden. Seems the preen killed everything including the corn and most of the beans. Well, we shouldn't have many weed problems next year. Trimmed and clipped a bunch of things yesterday afternoon and moved a few things. Almost unheard of other years but the ground is moisted and those little plants don't even know they've been moved. Shoulder surgery scheduled for Aug. 18th. Yahoo. Looking forward to getting this shoulder up and ready for work again. Camping less then two weeks away. Off to Lake Superior. What a place! We'll have great neighbors again. Need to continue trimming the hostas in the garden this morning. The wren babies are singing all over the place. We've had a few families already.

Wow...Friday this week...not Mon. next.

Friday morning and I've done a run through in the garden again. Some clipping and stretching to clip. Things look good but the corn and beans are a hit and miss on the second planting. Might have been the preen this time. I've given it my best shot. At least the horseradish has been tamed much to Doug's dismay. We had a garden full with the starts coming from Paul Cain. Doug is such a sentimental guy. I told him horseradish NEVER gives up. So I did the roundup thing. The milkweed, another Doug favorite is doing well with a huge stand in the middle of the garden waiting for the Monarch butterflies. Fennel has at least 8 first stage Swallowtails. Don't know where they go to cocoon. Wish I knew.

Yesterday Doc. Litner...shoulder doc, gave me the news that I feltI already knew. Torn rotator cuff. The words I didn't want to hear were that this is something that comes with AGE. Can you believe he said that? I felt like giving him a swift kick but he is recovering from Lukemia so I thought before I acted. Bad news...it's torn...good news it can be fixed...Yahoo. Good news surgery is easy. I don't feel a thing. I love the nerve block that works for at least 24 hours...bad news is rehab is horrible, horrible. Boo Hoo already. Well, this time I know exactly what's coming since this is the second and last time around. I'm taking pain killers much, much longer than last. I was in such a hurry to "get over it". Is anyone surprised? Today, we'll set the date. I'm hoping for the middle of August. Might be later. I've got to get over it for handbells! The agenda is full as you can see. I don't sound very patient already.

Tomorrow evening a few of us are getting together with Joshua Mbithi from Neema House for Children at Eldoret Kenya. He returns home next Wed. So...it's our last visit and good bye to a wonderful guy. He has seen a lot of Indiana visited and spoke with a lot of churches who are supporting Neema House, a home for HIV children, many abandoned at the hospital after birth. More Joshua's are needed for more years until the Kenyans better understand HIV/AIDS and have the ability to feed and care for children in their own homes. That's a long time in coming.

Not much planned for today. It's a lazy, crazy day in Carmel. Need to finish my last book and go to the library for more. Perhaps a little scratching in the dirt until I get fed up with the pain in my neck that comes because muscles are trying to compensate for the rotator cuff tear. What a bummer. A little swelling in my neck doesn't help any. And...all because I'm getting OLD. That's the worst of the worst. Can you believe I heard that from the Doctor. Could it be true!

It's July

Monday...July 7th. July always reminds me of all the birthday's of my growing up with church riends. There are a bunch of them. We're all hitting another big one this year. Four of us have July birthday's, one a June birthday and one an August birthday.

It's been a pretty quiet week even if the fourth is included. Doug is not one to leave home and I read a lot this weekend. Boring to say the least. Garden looks extra good. Second planting of vegetables are up. We are to have rain almost every day this week. Ugh! I need to put up a tent for the plants. Animals and clothes are still sitting in the living room waiting to be packed for Kenya. I hope that happens before we go on vacation on the 26th. Wed. is the day to see Dr. Litner about my shoulder. It's been a real pain lately. Hoeing in the garden really has effected my neck muscles which I think are hurting because of the bone spurs in my shoulder. I've got to get this fixed sooner than later. My patience is getting thin. Thank goodness...only two shoulders and the first one has been fixed. That's the very good news. I did more trimming and sprucing up in the garden already. Plants get a bit raggy. I think little spirts of work is better than one long one.

Another Monday June 30

Wow...tomorrow is July, birthday month for Doug and I and camping coming. Yahoo. Time flies faster than ever. Today I made it count. Started out at 7:30 with the clippers dead heading everything that needed to be clipped. I do that just about every morning and find out what needs to be spruced up. Sunday I planted the last 8 perennials that I bought Saturday at a great wholesale price only of 4.50 per gal. What a deal. Now the gardens are really stuffed with some great things. Have to admit that there are over 50 different flowers in the gardens. Sort of embarrising to say the least. It's looking like what I think an English garden looks like although I think they have fences and I don't. I counted 6 catipillers. Where are the butterflies? I had 7 other ones about three weeks ago. They are eating fennel and dill at this point. Today after looking around I decided to work on the old, old day lily bed that has just gone to pot. Weeds...day lillies moving out to the new edge of the bed with the middle having nothing but weeds of all kinds. So...I've been spraying the weeds and today I liberated the Peonys, moved some of the good surviving lillies to the northeast side of the house. The siberian iris are horrible spreading everywhere and being a big problem. Sprayed most of them also. The digging was easy because of all the rain. Can't pass that up. After that I collected all the weeds that were cut I came in and took a shower. Enough of garden work for the day. started at 7:15 and finished at 11:00. Well, after I ate and slept for about 30 minutes, I was out at it again. Crazy to say the least. The veg. garden got drowned out big time. No beans, beets were almost none existing and the what corn came up was a foot tall with tassels. So...I pulled them out, weeds were dying because they were sprayed also about 3 weeks ago and I got out the tiller and tilled up each end of the garden big time. The ground was perfect. The middle of the garden is full of milkweed and the monarch butterflies will love that so that was not disturbed but I did pull lots of weeds around the milkweed. Then off to get some seeds and planted two kinds of beans, yellow and green and some more corn. The beans should be ready first of Sept. and the corn I hope before frost. Crazy isn't it. That is if the rain doesn't do them in again. The tomatoes are great and the leaf lettuse couldn't be better. I love being outside all day long when the temp is low 70's and no humidity. What a day.

The weekend was filled with African thinking. Joshua Mbithi from Neema Children's Home was at church. The altar was filled with three 2 ft. African statues, gourds and a red and black Masi cloth. I also took two large vases of grasses. I mean huge for either side of the alter. Joshua read scripture and we had a dinner for 40 folks after church. Served toco salad, ice cream and cookies. It was a great Sunday. The ever ready bunny just keeps on hopping and beating that drum. Nothing planned for tomorrow but there will be something. That's a guarentee.

Monday Morning

Well, another busy chapter but I can't remember all the busy. Must be the oldest in the Russell part of the family that's helping this all along. We went to Nolan Russell's first birthday party. What a little cutie. Loves his cake as well as other things. I'm just back from a shoulder MRI. The event makes me think I'm in a coffin and alive. Helps to close ones' eyes and not move for 30 minutes. X-ray showed two bone spurs and this could confirm a rip in the rotator cuff. Not uncommon to happen to the left side since it happened to the right. I've got to keep this body in working shape. Thank goodness for Doctors that know how to do that. Garden is looking good. Flowers are blooming and I'm loving every minute of taking care of it. But hoeing does have it's shoulder problems come to think of it. I have about 800 stuffed animals in the livingroom in 30 bags waiting for a container on a freighter taking them to Kenya. Hope I don't need to wait to long. They will be Christmas gifts for the next few years. We also collected about 13 bags of clothing that's going in the same shippment.

Monday June 16

The rain has stopped for the moment but there is a flood of stuffed animals everywhere. Wow...Sarah Ellen asked for 150 little critters and Sunday...the last day to collect...I HOPE...brought in 300. So...there now are over 700 stuffed animals sitting in bags ready for the container going to Kenya. There is a glitch...money to send the container and there is still some medical equipment that needs to be fitted for Kenya electricity. 23 bags of animals and 14 bags of clothing are waiting. Thank goodness...no company for us. No place to sit unless it's on the patio. Not a bad place to sit come to think of it. Today's weather was perfect. I pulled lots of weeds in the front of the house, planted the last of the flowers and peppers and herbs. That is unless I buy more. It's addictive. I don't need any more. Tomatoes are looking better. They actually might make it. Tomorrow morning I'm working at church as well as Wednesday morning. Summer schedules are crazy. Wed. afternoon I'm seeing the shoulder doctor but...I screwed up my right knee about two weeks ago. Just walking...nothing crazy. It's really fat even though I've been icing it for four days. I've had my right shoulder fixed along with my left knee. Now it's seems to be more of the same with fixing. It could be time for right knee and left shoulder. It's a crazy life. Oh, well. Life could be much worse. Infact it's pretty good.

Goodness me

How time does fly. I don't even think of writing on the blog let alone have time. The Michigan kids were home this past weekend. We had a blast. I almost croked at the zoo. Way to long for this old woman but I didn't want to miss a thing. It rained big time in the morning so we went from building to building in the rain. When the dolphin show was over the rain stopped. We went to the van and ate lunch and then back at it seeing all the outdoor animals. Then we finished were we started at the butterfly gardens and the outdoor gardens which were beautiful. Sunday was church, nap time, splash pools in a Carmel Park. It was perfect for our little guys. Andrew and family joined us there. Andrew couldn't get wet enough. He splashed every minute he was there. Jacob and Adam did well also but not with the intensity of Andrew. Fun to watch them all. Playground equipment was fun also. Then home for the three birthday celebration. More gift opening. Jacob was really in to it. Monday Andrew and Kat came out during the morning and it was playing in the sandbox and wading pool. Michigan Kids left earlly afternoon. We ate, played, ate and played more. Just really fun. For the last two weeks the folks at church have answered a call for stuffed animals that we can send to Kenya via a container leaving next week. Wow...I've packed about 300 stuffed animals this week and a big bunch of clothing. More will come in Sunday. The living room is FULL. It's been a blast. Today I worked at the front desk at church, got ready for soup kitchen tomorrow, finished packing and labeling animals and cloths and then started on kits that will be given to rape victims. It's a bag full of little creature comfort things, lotion, pad of paper, gum, shower caps, etc. This is a new venture started by Sarah Ellen last spring. We sent 12 bags last fall and are ready more if I can get them into the container. Then it's getting ready for another visitor from Kenya arriving in the states a week from tomorrow. North will host with a lunch on Sunday June 29. Joshua will be at North next Thursday working in the soup kitchen and doing some other things at church. It's a crazy life. We have had buckets of rain. The garden is flooded out and there will be replanting if the ground ever dries out. I think we live in a rainforest.

Wed. May 28

I thought retirement meant that you got to slow down. Well, that's not the case. Busy, busy. Sarah Ellen is back in town for the week. Nancy Baxter was a house guest over the weekend and Monday we shopped with Sarah Ellen for things that she wants to take back to Eldoret, Kenya. We found 40 dark skinned babies at Dollar Tree for a buck. Great buy. The car was stuffed with things from Once Upon a Child, trunks, and more and we had a big car with a huge trunk. Tues...more shopping and SEM is in pretty good shape for now. I was bushed. I do the driving and SEM does the buying. This morning is working at the church desk, this afternoon is checking and fixing the gardens, tomorrow is soup kitchen and choir and Friday is another check with the doctor morning and afternoon. I'm not pleased with the looks of the skin cancer found on my nose so it's off to another doc. at 8 am to get his opinion. And I'm giving in to left shoulder pain. That appointment is at 2 pm. The problem is that it feels exactly like the right rotor cuff pain that I had before that surgery. Uck. I hate rehabs. Then inbetween it's throw out day at church into a huge dumpster. So...Friday could be an excellent day or it could be a down the drain day. Guess that's life.

Busy Tuesday

This week is fix up week. That means dentist and doctor. All is well and that's very good. It's cold here. Not cool...cold. The garden and flowerbeds are ready for warm weather. A little corn and beans are up. Could be better and maybe the sun will help. Red beets, dill, lettuse, fennel and parsley are creaping through the dirt. I'm planning on a big bunch of butterflies. Fennel, parsley and dill should help along with the butterfly bush and some other annuel flowers that are liked by butterflies. We'll see what happens. We did have a sphinx moth already. We have robin, red bird, chickdee and wren nests going in the tiny part of the back yard. Tomorrow I'm working on the desk at church till 1pm. Handbell people are having a pitch in dinner. The season is over. What fun. Nancy Baxter is coming this weekend from Cleveland and I'm hoping she stays at our house. She is a very special friend for many special reasons. And...her coming is just what I need to clean up the inside of the house. That's very good. Sarah Ellen should be back in town by the weekend.

May 17

Goodness almost a month of no blog. That's not good to keep all my friends informed. And I've got lots to talk about. Tomorrow is the last time this spring the handbells play at church. We are doing a very difficult piece and we've practiced it till it's memorized! That's a lot. Tomorrow is Adam's first birthday. We're missing it. The party is this afternoon and I know he will receive lots of attention. Jacob's birthday is the 26th. We'll see the kids the weekend of the 31st. It's called saving gas time. Gardening season is in full force. I've been having such fun. The corn is planted, the beans and redbeets are up and some of the flower seeds are also up. That doesn't mean I've missed the green houses. Some new perinnials this spring. I've always seem to need to plant something new. Yesterday and today I edged most of the flowerbeds. Wow...I have muscles I never knew I had in my back. I think I'm more obsessive complusive. Obsessed on getting it done and Cumplusive...getting it done now. Eric has some hostas that I didn't need. This week I drove to the Sullivans at Logansport for goard plants. When I arrived, they were eating morelle mushrooms that they found in their woods. Well, I asked if we could go morelle hunting and ofcourse they said yes. And I found a whole bunch. What fun. That was my first tast of morelles and hunting them. I was a bit disappointed in the eating part but the hunting certainly made up for that. The woods was beautiful with all the spring wildflowers everywhere. What a treat. Doris Douglas gave us some money to buy a membership at the zoo so Wed. afternoon I did that. It's four adults and all the grandchildren on the membership. And...ofcourse I needed to go all through the zoo to see everything Wed. afternoon. It was late in the day, a little cool and all the school children were gone. What a treat just to stroll anywhere I wanted to go. The landscaping is beautiful with thousands of prennials. The buttlefly house was just so much fun. I'm still doing a little sewing, working on finishing a pulpit banner. No hurry on this one and the preacher stole still needs to be finished up. All the handwork is finished. I'd much rather be outside so the house looks a bit neglected. I'm reading Obama's book Dreams from my Father. One worth reading. Tonight is our regular Panera run for pastries used during Hospitality time at church. I've had a shower so the flowerbeds are off limits. Can't get dirty. Tomorrow morning it's be at the church at 7am. Bell rehearsal at 7:30. Busy, busy as usual. That's the way I like it. The news channels are driving me crazy with all this political stuff. Sometimes I just turn it off but then wonder what is happening...Usually it's NOTHING happening, just a whole bunch of talk.

April 21

Time is flying...Today I hope is the second of three dentist visits for this crown application. So many appointments have been canceled and rescheduled. My fault, doctor's fault etc. Time to get on with it. We moved to the fast track with internet. Whoop-de-doo. I know...we're slow. Cleaned a little house this weekend. Don't want to over-do. I thought I'd work in the garden this morning but it's a little cool and damp. So...the sewing machine once again is moving right along. This time I'm working on another pulpit hanging. I'm doing some correcting meaning that I cut the banner all apart and sewing it back together so that things look streight when looking at it. The backround is silk screened which has some iragularities in it which bothered some church folks. So...I'm making some adjustments which I think will improve the banner.

April 15

Tax day and more importantly...my sister Mary K's birthday. So...Happy Birthday. The weather has been warming up. Today I sprayed more garlic mustard. It's horrible stuff that takes over but it can be killed. Yahoo. I spent about 3 hrs. traveling around to fabric shops. I have been asked by church folks to make a liturgical stole for Lisa who is being ordained this spring. I had some ideas for fabric but struck out at all stores so I'm on to plan two. This stole will take a little time to do if I stick to the plan which I think I probably will do. I'm adding a whole bunch of hand emblishments to the fabric. It's not needed until June. I'm also working on 6 tote bags that will be sold as money makers for our churches Umoja project, the money going to children of western Kenya. Tomorrow I'll be at the church desk answering the phone and then getting ready once again for Thursday soup kitchen work. Bell practice tomorrow night. It seems like the weeks just spin around. Yesterday, Patty and I put Easter back in the closet meaning that all the Easter banners, etc. have been changed into banners for Earth Day celebration next Sunday. Then it's banners for Kenya for two Sundays and then Pentecost. Then Trinity Sunday and finally good old ordinary time. So...we'll be climbing the ladders for a few more weeks. I love it! So...back to sewing again. My hands needed a rest.

April 12 Saturday

It's 6:30 am and the birds are beginning to sing. Still dark outside. The weather is a bit colder today but not cold. Calumet Mi. is still having lots of snow. It seems there is snow at least 7 months of the year in the U P. The coalition of churches in central Indiana is getting ready for a visit from our Kenyan director of UMOJA at the end of the month. So...I've been collecting things made or associated with Indiana as welcoming gifts. I made a visit to the Children's Museum for small gifts for his two children and yesterday for his wife I made 4 patchwork placemats. There is something about that sewing machine that keeps me happy. I have decided to make a carry it all bag with the UMOJA logo which will be a challenge for sure. Yesterday afternoon Eric called to say they were going to S and S and I had just gotten supper on the table so we ate and then I had a coke with Eric/Kat/Andrew at S amd S. That little guy is really changing. I think the fact that his ears are so much better is really making a difference in eating habits and he's just chatting away in sounds and now more words. He's changing daily. The blog from the Michigan family keeps me in the loop. Kimmy's blog is something I look forward to every morning.

Wed. again.

Beautiful weather. Yesterday, I raked all of the garden areas in the back of the house. Lots of winter junk and I never clean up the gardens in the fall. Burned the tall grass and tree sticks. Looks like things are really beginning to grow. I dug out a bunch of hosta last fall that were in the sun now that the big tree in the back yard has been gone for a while. The hostas just didn't adjust so it was out of there for them. That brings more area for summer flowers. I moved some flocks, put down preen to keep the weeds down and sprayed the garlic mustard. That stuff is terrible taking over bigger and bigger areas if one doesn't KILL. Next will be the tiller but that can wait for a while. Not worth doing until the ground warms up. Today I'm working at the church but will do the preen weed thing in the courtyard at church. Waiting only makes the job bigger. I'm working on the visuals at church for Earth Day Celebrations on the 20th. Janet Wanner has one more stole and I think that should take care of her until Advent. So the sewing machine is slowing down. The yard work will take care of that real easy. Bell practice tonight.
Buying tickets for the opera today. Sarah Ellen and I are going in a couple of weeks. Yahoo.

Wed. March 26

A lot has happened since the last blog. Easter Sunday was a very special time at church. Lots of people, the visuals were very good and the hospitality hr. didn't run out of food. The sermon was outstanding and the Widor was out of this world. Martin, the organist is such a gift to us using his gifts to glorify God. Good music is just so important to me. I took my usual Easter nap, and just sat and enjoyed the rest of the day. I did do some sewing for the Michigan grandbabies that was tons of fun. That's where we're heading next weekend. That will be another special weekend playing with Jacob and Adam, seeing the chicks which brings back lots of childhood memories as well. Monday I started working on renewing a Good Friday banner that has past the prime of it's life. I took it all apart, stablized the front to eliminate sagging and put it back together with new fabric to last another 20 years, I hope. I've started on another one that will be new to the congregation using some fabrics we painted with the children years ago. It's bright and bold and I think will work for the Sunday we celebrate taking care of the earth...April 22nd. I'm off to the dentist this afternoon to begin work on a crown. I just detest sitting in that chair. It's a captive environment. No handbells tonight. Tomorrow is soup kitchen morning, tomorrow evening is choir practice and then FRIDAY. Yahoo. Off to Michigan around noon I hope.

Showtime!

Now don't take me wrong...It's Easter at North and tomorrow is the big day with the big big day after that. We've had wonderful church services. Last Sunday was Palm/Passion Sunday with incredible Rutter music. You could hear a pin drop at the end of the postlude. Kevin wove the passion story all through the music. It was like lessons and carols at Christmas. God was there. Then...Thurs. eve communion and tonight Good Friday...Sat. is a children's retreat and folks will be at church to get things ready for Easter. The music has been so good and the preaching outstanding. I'm hanging in there but this has been a long week of long days at church making sure the preachers get what they need for services and then keeping myself a float. I'm enjoying the nights of rest. I really need them. This morning one of the men from church and I planted two flats of purple and yellow pansies. Wooo...that makes me smile just looking at all those happy flowers. There are rewards that come with the work. Tomorrow, I'm ready to go gather the forces and change the mood. This afternoon was my time. Yahoo. So...guess what...I finished the third stole made from Kenyan Lesso fabric. Now looking at them brings back such fantastic memories of the trip to Kenya. Some of the Kenya travelers saw them and are just about as excited as I am with the prospects of seeing them worn by the preachers in the pulpit.
I'm lovin' the grandbaby blogs. Such fun little boys to hear about.

Obsessing.

Yes...obsessing with sewing. Is it called obsessing when it's really fun? In the past two weeks I made Janet Wanner two stoles, one for Easter/Eastertide (gold and white)and one for the green ordinary time that follows Eastertide. I used many batik fabrics and gold ribbon floss. Janet is delighted and I really had fun designing them and sewing. I call it coloring with fabric. Now I am on to thinking decorating at church for Easter. My dear Patty Hefner friend who usually does this, with me being the gopher is in Arizona until April. So...it's my head spinning at this point. We are hanging some great spring colorful banners with ribbons and I've put together two processional butterfly poles the children will follow into church. I also just finished something new for the large cross on the lawn at the corner of 38th and Meridian. It's an 8 sided frame made from pcv ? pipe about 30 inches wide with white kite fabric stretched across and sewn to the frame. On the white fabric is a very large butterfly with many colorful streamers attached to the frame. It should be very noticable. It's something I saw in a book. Today I covered some grapevine crosses with silk dogwood and ivy for the west entrance doors. I think I'm ready for the put up crew Sat. before Easter. The next big event I need to think about is purchasing about 30 potted flowers for the altar Easter Sunday. This will be interesting to see what is in the stores so early in the year. The flowers go to shut in folks after the service. Tonight I finished a new banner that will be hung NEXT year. Crazy isn't it. It's a great three kings banner with Middle Eastern hats instead of crowns. Makes me laugh when I look at it. I told Doug... All my begun projects are finished. I'll think of something, that's for sure. I've got to keep the fingers flying. I could start a quilting project. Now it's time for coffee and a basket ball game and then to bed. What a great day.

Tuesday

We are having ucky weather today. It's wind, and now an ice storm. The trees are getting loaded and the branches are decending. And...with no power lines below ground we usually get hit pretty hard with the number of trees breaking leading to power outages. Extra water is in the refrigerator, Doug knows where the flashlights are and I've got a candle ready to do. Hope we don't need to use these. I made another short trip to the fabric store and I have plenty to do. The brain was on overdrive with sketching this morning and the ideas are on paper. Banners and Stoles can have so many little parts that make up the big part. At least that's the way I construct things. Our Bible study is tonight but I think it's best to stay home. I just feel really good about not having the need to keep small children warm. Watching TV MSNBC. This election stuff just goes on and on. Amazing how long it can be drug out. Grandchildren are in the recovery mode. Andrew gets tubes tomorrow if nothing else pops up. Andrew started having real troubles I think before Christmas, first with flu and then ear infections. The Michigan kids are on the mend. It seems like they have been sick for weeks. I think they all are moving on to better health.

Woo...time flies

The biggest event of the week is hearing that Kenya seems to have turned the corner. That news will benifit so many people and the Kenyans are celebrating right along with us. What a pressure cooker they have been in since the election. Not good for one's health.

Much of this week was spent at the sewing machine. Woo. Woo. One of my favorite places. I designed and sewed a stole for Janet Wanner to wear. She now is on the staff at church . Wonderful ministry is happening for children. Janet is from the Church of God and is needing liturgical vestments. This stole will be her first. It's made out of batik fabrics most of them but not all green, with many, many different stiched in gold crosses all over the stole. I really, really, enjoy doing this kind of work. Creates time for lots of thinking. Usually I'm way to busy doing.

I need to finish a tractor pillow for Jacob and get it on it's way. He's a CARS and JOHN DEERE tractor boy.

Made a trip to the skin doctor yesterday. I had some spots on my face that kept reminding me that I needed to check them out. Well, yesterday was the day and she cut two out and sent them on to the lab. Something tells me that the spots are nothing to worry about. It's just good to take precautions. In the 60's I was out sunning almost every day and now I'm outside in the garden every day. No sun screen for me but that may need to change.

Sister Mary K. (not a nun) continues to recuperate from back surgery that happened two days after arriving home from Mexico. It's a slow recovery but she really is doing fine. I'm taking her Mexican pastries from time to time. Yum, yum. I'm discribing the memory. She's doing the eating.

Hip , Hip, Hooray...the snow is leaving and the sun is out. And. I've put my winter coat back in the closet. I'm sure to get it out again but I just don't like to be bundled up when not needed.

In the next post I hope will announce that all the grandbabies and JB are well again. Way to much flu and ear problems in the family. Kimmy...wash your hands.

One week later

Another week. Wow...this one went very quickly. Snow still here but much less. That's very good. I've been doing lots of sewing. Keeps me happy. The first part of two projects is finished. I'm waiting for a sale to start the second part. Hospitality Rm at church was stuffed with people. It's such a fun place to see people on any Sunday morning. In the afternoon the highschool kids sponsored a showing of Invisible Children. It's a documentary made by three college age men who went to Uganda to film the story about children who had been kidnapped from their homes to serve/kill in the rebel army that is found in a large area around Lake Victoria. Thousands of the children run away from home to escape being kidnapped and now are found in the cities, sleeping in the streets, basements and just anywhere they can. It's a very sad event happening in Africa. If you get a chance to see this film please do. You will see another place in the world where things have gone wrong and is in great need.

This afternoon I am going to a meeting with a friend at Sec. Presbyterian Church to hear about the planning part of a carnival that highschool kids are sponsoring as a May event that includes other church youth in the Indy area. The carnival will benifit the Umoja (Unity) project in western Kenya. This project supports children with school uniforms to attend school as well as some cottage industries where people can find work making the uniforms. These central Indiana students are amazing in their Kenya committment. North and Sec. Presby youth have spent some time in Eldoret Kenya. Go Kids.

Monday morning

It was a very good weekend. Didn't do much and that was one reason. Back to church. It's interesting how I feel about the place after missing a week of services. The music once again was just great. Martin played the organ with the music going clear through to my bones. That might sound crazy but I know what I mean. Sitting in the choir loft right under the pipes is the best place in the church. It never can be to loud there. Hospitality time was fun. We decorated for Pres. day with little toothpick flags stuck in the pastries, red and white and blue table coverings. That just gives those coming a little surprise. Going slow this morning. Later today I need to talk to the finance sect. at church so I'll make a short trip there. And...the overflowing garbage cans are being pulled to the street. That's very good. Greenspace gardening meeting tonight and I'll call Mary K to see if she wants me to pick her up. I think I'll go to the Mexican Grocery to get some pastries before I see Dolores at church. She's from Mexico and needs a Mexican treat.

A week later

I've been a bit quite on the blog scene. It's thinking about the Mexico memories among other things that have kept me from this site. We ALL had a wonderful time and want to go back again at some point. What a wonderful treat last week was. This week...I've made an effort to get rid of some responsibilities. I've succeeded with ONE. Not more volunteering on Friday's at church. I get into such a spin with things I really enjoy but the simple fact is that I need to take care of my health more than I have. Diabeties does have it's place in my life now. This week I've done a whole bunch of pitching old stuff out of the house. Time at home helps that to happen and I do feel good about doing that. Decisions were easy to make. That's really the bottom line. Today I'm working on a pillow top for Jim. He bought the front and I'm attaching the back and getting the stuffings ready to insert. It's not a standard size pillow so I'll create the stuffing part to fit. Humm...maybe I just should do the pillow part and let him buy the stuffing in Mexico at the local Walmart! That's a better packing idea. It's bright, bright with a beautiful Mexican design. He said I have until next November to finish it. Well, by then I probably will have lost the top. So...get it done and in the mail. Back to sewing now.

Thursday in Mexico

Mary K and I arrived Monday evening and it's easy to say that we have had a whirl wind of activities since we have arrived. We really are enjoying Mexico for so many reasons. The weather is perfect, the people are very friendly, the food is amazing, there seems to be an unlimited number of different fruits, and we have discovered Mexican pastries. Yum, yum.

We've been to Tasco for a day, attended a home and garden tour of 4 huge houses that have nothing to compare to in Indy. My brain is getting a bit slow because I just can't remember everything. We've traveled by airplane, busses of many kinds, most of them as good as in the states. We've met many taxi drivers as well.

The restaurants are wonderful and we've eaten way to much food. And for visiting with each other...that's been the best.

Where is the snow?

The weather guys went nuts yesterday talking about the big snow coming. Well, the 7 inches decided to somewhere else. What a joke. I think we might have gotten 2 at the most. I hope the snowmobiler I saw getting gassed up isn't to disappointed. Poor guy. He did say he was going north if it didn't happen. Look out Michigan.

I've done a little more thinking of what to take to Mexico. Suitcase is about full and I'm getting my money together.

More news out of Kenya. There is little that would say there is a turn to the good in the events of the last week. More families displaced or divided because of tribal issues, homes burned, children abandoned. Health clinics open but not working well. HIV/Aids Meds unable to get to patients. Just so many stories of continued disturbance. My friends are the last two Americans in Eldoret and they are determined to stay at almost any cost. Remember Joe and Sarah Ellen and their Kenyan family of friends as well as those who will work toward a political solution.

This Sunday will be very busy. My visual arts pardoner at church is in Az. for the winter. Ash Wed. is in this coming week and the church colors need to be changed to purple. Help...I'm in Mexico! I recruited some folks that will help me get the job done right after church and also recruited people to get work done while I'm gone. It's like the old job of writing lesson plans when I was teaching so the substitute could carry on. I think it will all hang together. Over the years we've pushed the envelope for high visual expectations and I want that to carry on. It's a good time to enlarge the working pool of people. I'm really going to enjoy this Mexico trip. Yahoo.

Wed. morning

We had an evening of wind, rain, sleet and snow but today the sun is out. Houses on the west side of Indianapolis have taken a hit. And this morning along with the sun, the temp is in the basement. Brrr. Brrr. I'm sitting at the church reception desk and today is Shepherd Center Activities. And...the old people are flocking in. Nothing stops them. This afternoon I'll finish getting decorations ready for Lent and then on to getting my hair cut. Home for a little while and then BELLS. Yahoo. We are playing for church while I am in Mexico. To bad...Mexico rises above bells at this point.